In an appeal to the Guangzhou Municipal Intermediate People’s Court, rights defender Guo Feixiong (郭飞雄), also known as Yang Maodong (杨茂东), who was sentenced last week to six years of imprisonment for “gathering crowds to disrupt order in public places” and “picking quarrels and provoking troubles,” challenges the validity of the ruling of the trial court, the Tianhe District People’s Court, and requests a retrial.
Among the main arguments Guo made are:
Guo argues that the court, in basing its ruling on coerced testimony, evidence that did not support the criminal charge, and testimony that was made up, was in violation of Article 53 of the Criminal Procedure Law.